Objective: To identify the main metals involved in cognitive impairment in the Chinese oldest old, and explore the association between these metal exposures and cognitive impairment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1 568 participants aged 80 years and older from Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study (2017 to 2018). Fasting venous blood was collected to measure the levels of nine metals (selenium, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, chromium, manganese, mercury, and nickel). The cognitive function of these participants was evaluated by using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE). The random forest (RF) was applied to independently identify the main metals that affected cognitive impairment. The multivariate logistic regression model and restricted cubic splines (RCS) model were used to further verify the association of the main metals with cognitive impairment. Results: The age of 1 568 study subjects was (91.8±7.6) years old, including 912 females (58.2%) and 465 individuals (29.7%) with cognitive function impairment. Based on the RF model (the out-of-bag error rate was 22.9%), the importance ranking of variables was conducted and the feature screening of five times ten-fold cross-validation was carried out. It was found that selenium was the metal that affected cognitive function impairment, and the other eight metals were not included in the model. After adjusting for covariates, the multivariate logistic regression model showed that with every increase of 10 μg/L of blood selenium levels, the risk of cognitive impairment decreased (OR=0.921, 95%CI: 0.889-0.954). Compared with the lowest quartile(Q₁) of blood selenium, the ORs (95%CI) of Q₃ and Q₄ blood selenium were 0.452 (0.304-0.669) and 0.419 (0.281-0.622) respectively. The RCS showed a linear dose-response relationship between blood selenium and cognitive impairment (P_nonlinear>0.05). Conclusion: Blood selenium is negatively associated with cognitive impairment in the Chinese oldest old.
Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Selenium ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Metals/analysis* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Objective To explore the recovery mechanism of language network among post-stroke aphasic patients by investigating the difference of whole-brain amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and the Granger causality analysis (GCA) between the patients and the controls. Methods From May, 2019 to May, 2021, 19 patients with aphasia after left hemispheric stroke and 17 age- and sex- matched healthy controls finished functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. All the patients assessed with Chinese version of Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Restplus was used for fMRI data analysis. Regions with significant difference of ALFF between groups were chosen as regions of interests (ROI) for the following GCA analysis. Results ALFF in left inferior frontal gyrus triangle (LIFGtri) and left medial frontal gyrus (LMFG) were significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. Effective connectivity from LIFGtri to LMFG and from LMFG to the right cerebellar Crus I were significantly lower in the patients. Effective connectivity from right cerebellar Crus II to LIFGtri, from right cerebellar Crus I to LMFG were significantly greater in the patients. Conclusion Unidirectional negative regulatory pathway such as LIFGtri→LMFG might be injured in post-stroke aphasia, while, connectivities between right cerebellar Crus II→LIFGtri and right cerebellar Crus I →LMFG enhanced. Right cerebellum might be the potential target for the language recovery.

In this paper, the extraction rate of crude polysaccharides and the yield of polysaccharides from Hippocampus served as test indicators. The comprehensive evaluation indicators were assigned by the R language combined with the entropy weight method. The Box-Behnken design-response surface methodology(BBD-RSM) and the deep neural network(DNN) were employed to screen the optimal parameters for the polysaccharide extraction from Hippocampus. These two modeling methods were compared and verified experimentally for the process optimization. This study provides a reference for the industrialization of effective component extraction from Chinese medicinals and achieves the effective combination of modern technology and traditional Chinese medicine.
Dietary Carbohydrates ; Hippocampus ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Polysaccharides ; Temperature

Objective:To investigate the care needs and influencing factors for caregivers of children with disabilities. Methods:From December, 2019 to January, 2020, and August to September, 2020, a total of 496 family caregivers of children with disabilities were surveyed in Shanghai. The Care Needs Assessment Tool for Children with Disabilities was used to measure the care needs rates and satisfaction, and multiple linear regression was performed to analyze the related factors. Results:The rate of total need was 71.8%, which was high in the information support (83.7%), spiritual support (75.9%) and financial support (74.1%), and was at an intermediate level in alternative service support (62.9%) and professional support (62.2%). The satisfaction of total need was 39.4%, which was at a intermediate level in the spiritual support (50.8%) and professional support (45.5%), and was at a low level in alternative service support (32.8%), financial support (32.3%) and information support (30.3%). The caregivers needed less support for thoses with higher public policy satisfaction (B = -3.252, 95%CI -5.370 to -1.134, P = 0.003) and the children with vision and speech disability, and undetermined disability (B_{vision disability}= -12.160, 95%CI -21.976 to -2.344, P = 0.015; B_{speech disability}= -12.754, 95%CI -22.583 to -2.925, P = 0.011; B_{undetermined disability}= -16.553, 95%CI -24.714 to -8.392, P < 0.001), while mothers (B = 9.071, 95%CI 4.293 to 13.848, P < 0.001) needed more support than grandparents. The caregivers with higher public policy satisfaction (B = 7.392, 95%CI 5.523 to 9.262, P < 0.001), the children with vision disability, hearing disability and speech disability (B_{vision disability}= 8.612, 95%CI 0.081 to 17.144, P = 0.048; B_{hearing disability}= 8.686, 95%CI 1.920 to 15.451, P=0.012; B_{speech disability}= 9.515, 95%CI 1.184 to 17.846, P = 0.025), lower barriers to social inclusion (B = 1.932, 95%CI 0.457 to 3.408, P = 0.010) and shorter average daily care hours (B = -4.123, 95%CI -6.247 to -1.999, P < 0.001) were more satisfactory for support. Conclusion:The care needs of children with disabilities are diverse, with the highest rate of need for information support and the lowest level of satisfaction. There is some variation in the care needs of children with different types of disabilities, family roles, average daily care hours and social environment characteristics.

Objective:To explore the quality of life of caregivers of children with disabilities and its influencing factors. Methods:From December, 2019 to January, 2020, and August to September, 2020, a total of 496 family caregivers of children with disabilities were surveyed in Shanghai. The 12-item Short-form Health Survey (SF-12) was used to measure the quality of life of 496 caregivers, and multiple linear regression was performed to analyze the related factors. Results:The score of physical component summary (PCS) of caregivers was (51.67±8.11), and the score of mental component summary (MCS) was (42.10±12.66). The scores of PCS were lower in caregivers with children aged 6 to 18 years (B = -1.783, 95%CI -3.279 to -0.287, P = 0.020), children with emotional instability (B = 2.719, 95%CI 1.254 to 4.184, P < 0.001), female caregivers (B = -3.765, 95%CI -6.578 to -0.953, P = 0.009), and caregivers who were relatively dissatisfied with the policy (B = 1.973, 95%CI 0.367 to 3.578, P = 0.016); and were higher in caregivers with children with speech disabilities (B = 3.463, 95%CI 0.053 to 6.873, P = 0.047). The types of disabilities of children (B_hearing = 9.465, 95%CI 5.107 to 13.823, P < 0.001; B_undetermined = 5.999, 95%CI 1.558 to 10.441, P = 0.008), playmates of children (B = 2.626, 95%CI 0.352 to 4.901, P = 0.024), education level of caregivers (B_{high middle school} = -4.701, 95%CI -8.028 to -1.374, P = 0.006; B_{high school} = -3.610, 95%CI -6.604 to -0.615, P = 0.018), family size (B = 2.616, 95%CI 0.479 to 4.753, P = 0.017) and per capita monthly income (B _{< 5000 Yuan}= -6.572, 95%CI -9.136 to -4.008, P < 0.001; B_{5000 to < 10000 Yuan} = -4.932, 95%CI -7.544 to -2.319, P < 0.001) were associated with the scores of MCS. Conclusion:The quality of life, especially the mental health, of caregivers of children with disabilities is poor. The influencing factors cover multiple dimensions such as caregivers, children, family and social environment.

Objective:To investigate the anxiety state and its influencing factors for caregivers of children with disabilities. Methods:From December, 2019 to January, 2020, and August to September, 2020, a total of 496 family caregivers of children with disabilities were surveyed in Shanghai. Crosstab was used to analyze the anxiety state and binary logistic regression analysis was used for identifying key factors. Results:There were 73.2% parents and 26.8% grandparents among 496 caregivers. Physical disabilities accounted most (26.0%) in the children. About 35.1% caregivers reported their anxiety state, and more than 10% reported moderate to severe anxiety. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that grandfather reported 0.318 times anxiety to mother (OR = 0.318, 95%CI 0.113 to 0.900, P = 0.031). Sleep problems (OR = 1.713, 95%CI 1.046 to 2.805, P = 0.032) and emotional functioning (OR_generally = 0.057, 95%CI 0.009 to 0.340, P = 0.002; OR_stable = 0.031, 95%CI 0.005 to 0.205, P < 0.001) of children were associated with the rate of caregiver-reported anxiety. Among family environment factors, monthly per capita household income (OR_{5000-< 10000 Yuan} = 0.463, 95%CI 0.236 to 0.909, P = 0.025; OR_{≥ 10,000 Yuan} = 0.325, 95%CI 0.160 to 0.660, P = 0.002) and housing status (OR = 0.356, 95%CI 0.208 to 0.608, P < 0.001) were associated with the rate of caregiver-reported anxiety. Among social environment factors, caregivers who were satisfied with current accessibility reported lower rate of anxiety (OR_satisfied = 0.136, 95%CI 0.031 to 0.602, P = 0.009). Conclusion:The anxiety state of caregivers of children with disabilities is higher than that of the general population. When caregivers are caring for a child with sleep problem or emotional issue, have low household income, or dissatisfied with the barrier-free environment, they may face higher risk of anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is reported associated with the alteration of gut microbial composition termed as dysbiosis. However, the pathogenic mechanism of IBS remains unclear, while the studies of Chinese individuals are scarce. This study aimed to understand the concept of dysbiosis among patients with Chinese diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D), as a degree of variance between the gut microbiomes of IBS-D population and that of a healthy population. METHODS: The patients with IBS-D were recruited (assessed according to the Rome III criteria, by IBS symptom severity score) from the Outpatient Department of Gastroenterology of Peking University Third Hospital, and volunteers as healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled, during 2013. The 16S rRNA sequences were extracted from fecal samples. Ribosomal database project resources, basic local alignment search tool, and SparCC software were used to obtain the phylotype composition of samples and the internal interactions of the microbial community. Herein, the non-parametric test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test was carried out to find the statistical significance between HC and IBS-D groups. All the P values were adjusted to q values to decrease the error rate. RESULTS: The study characterized the gut microbiomes of Chinese patients with IBS-D, and demonstrated that the dysbiosis could be characterized as directed alteration of the microbiome composition leading to greater disparity between relative abundance of two phyla, Bacteroidetes (Z = 4.77, q = 1.59 × 10) and Firmicutes (Z = -3.87, q = 5.83 × 10). Moreover, it indicated that the IBS symptom features were associated with the dysbiosis of whole gut microbiome, instead of one or several certain genera even they were dominating. Two genera, Bacteroides and Lachnospiracea incertae sedis, were identified as the core genera, meanwhile, the non-core genera contribute to a larger pan-microbiome of the gut microbiome. Furthermore, the dysbiosis in patients with IBS-D was associated with a reduction of network complexity of the interacted microbial community (HC vs. IBS-D: 639 vs. 154). The disordered metabolic functions of patients with IBS-D were identified as the potential influence of gut microbiome on the host (significant difference with q < 0.01 between HC and IBS-D). CONCLUSIONS This study supported the view of the potential influence of gut microbiome on the symptom of Chinese patients with IBS-D, and further characterized dysbiosis in Chinese patients with IBS-D, thus provided more pathological evidences for IBS-D with the further understanding of dysbiosis.
Diarrhea ; microbiology ; Dysbiosis ; microbiology ; Feces ; microbiology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; genetics ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; microbiology ; Models, Theoretical ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; genetics

BACKGROUND: Blood purification (BP) is one of the most important rescue measures for patients with critical illness in the intensive care unit (ICU), especially for those with acute kidney injury. The purpose of this nationwide survey was to reveal the real world of current BP practice in different ICUs all over China. This study was designed to be a multi-center cross-sectional study. METHODS: All adult patients (over 18 years of age), who were admitted to ICU and required BP in 35 sub-centers across China were included during 30-day survey period in 2018. Demographic characteristics and clinical data were recorded including the timing of treatment initiation, indications, modality, relative contraindication, establishment of vascular access, selection of filter/membrane, settings, anti-coagulation, executive department, complication, intake, and output. DISCUSSION: This nationwide survey may contribute to reveal the real world of current BP practice in different ICUs all over China. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-EOC-17013119; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=22487.

To study the effects of ellagic acid(EA)on inflammation and oxidative stress in mice with fatty liver disease induced by AKT gene transfection,the 20 female FVB mice were randomly divided into normal control group,model group and ellagic acid administration group(150,300 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1))(n=5).EA experimental groups and model group were using a high pressure into the tail vein transfection plasmid AKT.The next day,EA was started to administered continuously for 5 weeks after the AKT gene transfection,while the model group and the normal control group were given the same amount of saline.After the administration,the liver tissue and serum of mice were taken.HE and oil red O staining were using to observe the histopathological changes in liver;liver function to detect the serum and liver tissue as well as MDA and SOD levels;real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)was used to measure the mR-NA expression of NF-κB and TNF-α;Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of NF-κB,TNF-αand COX-2 in liver tissue.RESULTS:: show that after AKT gene transfection,the model group had significant increase in the serum levels of AST,ALT,elevated the levels of MDA and decreased the levels of SOD in serum and liver tissue,aggravated histopathology degeneration and Liver inflammation,and significantly higher expression of NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-6,COX-2 and other inflammatory-related factors in liver tissue.EA administration group significant reductions in the serum levels of AST,ALT,and improved in hepatocyte fatty degeneration and liver inflammation,lower the levels of MDA and increased the levels of SOD in serum and liver tissue,and significant reductions in the expression of NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-6 and COX-2 in liver tissue.These results suggest that EA has obvious anti-inflammatory effect and inhibits oxidative stress and EA has a significant therapeutic effecton AKT gene inducing fatty liver,and the mechanism possibly by inhibiting inflammatory factors of NF-κB,TNF-α,IL-6,COX-2 and anti-oxidative stress-related.
Animals ; Ellagic Acid ; pharmacology ; Fatty Liver ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Female ; Inflammation ; drug therapy ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; Random Allocation ; Transfection